a. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to medical devices and manufacturing methods for medical devices that include at least one high strength bond joint. More specifically, this disclosure relates to ablation catheters including a bond joint having high strength and increased bond joint area between an electrode tip assembly and a catheter shaft, and methods of making the ablation catheters.
b. Background Art
Electrophysiology catheters are used for an ever-growing number of medical procedures. For example, catheters are used for diagnostic, therapeutic, and ablative procedures. Typically, the catheter is manipulated through a patient's vasculature and to the intended site, such as a site within the patient's cardiovascular system, such as the heart or renal artery.
An ablation catheter typically carries one or more electrodes, which may be used for ablation, diagnosis, or the like. There are a number of methods used for ablation of desired areas, including for example, radiofrequency (RE) ablation. RF ablation is generally accomplished by transmission of radiofrequency energy to a desired target area through an electrode assembly to ablate tissue at the target site.
The ablation catheter is generally comprised of at least two separate parts that are joined together to form a single, cohesive piece. Typically, an electrode tip assembly is mated to a catheter shaft to form a final ablation catheter. To ensure that a proper fit and bond joint can be made between the outer diameter of the electrode tip assembly and the inner diameter of a catheter shaft, care must be taken to control closely and consistently the inner diameter of the catheter shaft, which may be manufactured from a polyimide or polyether block amide material, for example. Inconsistencies in the inner diameter of the catheter shaft can result in inconsistent bonding patters with the electrode tip assembly that may impact the quality and reliability of the resulting bond joint. With many materials suitable for forming the catheter shaft, it may be difficult to produce catheter shafts with uniform and consistent inner diameters.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.